IPL 2020: 3 Mistakes committed by the losing side in KKR vs RCB

Kolkata Knight Riders lost their fifth game of the tournament with a massive defeat against RCB. KKR’s performance looked completely dismal in all the departments since the first ball of the game. They lost early wickets and never recovered from it to score the lowest total of IPL 2020.

While defending mere 84 runs, KKR never looked in control and it was a cakewalk for RCB. With KKR’s defeat, the qualification for playoffs has opened for all the teams. With five losses and as many wins in 10 games, Kolkata now need to win three more matches to seal their spot in the playoffs. However, to pull that off, they would need to find several answers before their next game after this enormous defeat for them.

Here are the three mistakes committed by KKR in Match 39, KKR vs RCB:-

1. Top-order played big shots despite losing two quick wickets

In the second over of the game, Mohammed Siraj bowled two impeccable deliveries to dismiss Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana. With two consecutive wickets, KKR should have batted defensively to recover from the early loss. However, Tom Banton and Shubman Gill tried to play high-risk shots and that led to more wickets to fall. If KKR would have batted with more patience in the powerplay, things might have turned out differently.

2. No strike rotation after powerplay ended

KKR were restricted to 17/4 at the end of powerplay and they were in a fragile position. Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik were at the crease and being their most experienced batsmen, they should have rotated the strike to bail KKR out of trouble. However, that didn’t happen and both of them played a lot of dot balls, which created pressure and eventually KKR lost more wickets.

3. No intent while defending a low total by KKR

KKR put on a total of only 84 runs and they were clearly on the back foot. However, while defending such a low total, they should have attacked from the first ball to create pressure and to pick up wickets. It was evident that if RCB batted for 20 overs, they would chase it down. Defensive captaincy and lack of intent in the initial overs led to a solid foundation for RCB in an easy chase and they never looked back.